Visiting the Inspirations behind Pride and Prejudice by Olivia Lennox

For anybody visiting England, traveling to Jane Austen’s birthplace and other nearby locations is both a fascinating and insightful experience for any Pride and Prejudice fan. The locations where Jane Austen lived and worked provided much of the inspiration that enabled her to pen such a masterpiece, and seeing these for yourself is a memorable and rewarding experience.

Nestled away in the quiet English countryside, just outside the town of Basingstoke in Hampshire, is the leafy village of Steventon, where Jane Austen was born and raised. Steventon provided Austen with much of her inspiration for Pride and Prejudice, which she wrote whilst living there. When Jane Austen was born, in 1775, stage coaches to London regularly stopped by on the Winchester Road, formerly Popham Lane, where the young writer would walk with her father and soak in the inspiration provided by the village and its regular visitors.



Although Pride and Prejudice was not published until much later, Steventon and the active social life that Jane enjoyed there provided much of the inspiration for the novel. Jane was a very sociable girl, and regularly attended local gatherings and also traveled to nearby Basingstoke, before retiring back to the family’s 17^th century rectory on where she wrote her notes and began work on the book that was destined to become such a classic.

Visiting Steventon

Steventon is a must see location for any Pride and Prejudice fan visiting England, and is the perfect starting point for seeing the places where she lived and worked. Here you can walk in the same footsteps as the young novelist. Jane was a keen walker, much like Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, and visitors to Steventon can meander down the lanes and take in the sights and atmosphere of the village just as Jane did two centuries ago.

Steventon is a picturesque place, where little has changed in the last two hundred years. The fields where Jane’s father grew potatoes are still there, where the young novelist would have enjoyed playing as a child, and even the original church, St. Nicholas, much visited by Jane and her family, is still standing. Many of the gravestones precede Jane’s birth and a visitor can imagine how the young writer would have walked through the cemetery looking for names to inspire her many famous characters. The local pub, the Wheatsheaf Inn, used to be where Jane and her father collected their post and is the perfect place to stop for some refreshments and reflect on the sights of the village.

While the family home and its traditional furniture are no longer standing - her original home was demolished not long after she died - remnants of the seven-bedroom rectory still exist, with the original railings, which circled the wooden water pump that served the family, still visible. The village is very welcoming to visitors too - the locals are much used to people wanting to savor the birthplace and original home of the Pride and Prejudice author, and are most helpful in pointing out places of interest. For any fan, Steventon is the ideal place to start a Jane Austen tour. Not only can you savor the sights of the village where the young author grew up and wrote her famous classic, but also it is very close to other must see destinations.

Moving On

Austen house at Chawton

Several other key locations played an important part in Jane Austen’s incredible life, and visiting these is easily done from Steventon. Just over 20 miles to the southeast is the village or Chawton, where Jane spent the last years of her life. Her home is still standing and serves as the Jane Austen Museum, where visitors can see some of the author’s own possessions, , and read personal correspondence written by Austen herself.

The cathedral city of Winchester is 15 miles to the southwest of Chawton and is another essential location for any Pride and Prejudice fan interested in the life of the author. Jane moved to Winchester from Chawton only in the last few months of her life. Here she died, at the tragically young age of 41. She was buried in the grounds of the cathedral and her grave is a popular location for many fans who wish to pay their respects and remember how much she gave the world of literature in such a short lifetime.

Related Links
Jane Austen Locations (via Republic of Pemberley)


Note: Olivia Lennox is our new guest blogger/contributor here at P&P Blog. Her P&P/Austen related articles will be posted here randomly from time to time.

Winner of Fitzwilliam Ebanezer Darcy book Giveaway!

Barbara Tiller Cole, (author of  Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy novel) and I (Jeane) are very pleased to announced the winner of her F.E. Darcy book giveaway.

Special thank you to (once again) for doing a guest blog post here and for generously offering the giveaway of her newly released novel, Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy to one random lucky winner (scroll down below or click Continue Reading » to find out who the winner is!!) and reader of this blog.

Also, thanks to all the readers here and all participants/entrants who had read Barbara's guest post: Elizabeth Darcy and Black Friday Sales by Barbara Tiller Cole and to those of you who commented on her guest post. Thank you all so much.

Now, without further ado, the the random lucky winner of Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy is...

Margay!
Congratulations!!!

An email has been sent to you...so please Contact Me asap with your mailing address (include the title and link to this post in your email) to claim your prize. Thanks. :-)

Elizabeth Darcy and Black Friday Sales by Barbara Tiller Cole (+ Win a giveaway!)

Friday begins the shopping rush for the upcoming HolidaySeason. While I am not a huge fan of Dayafter Thanksgiving sales (now called Black Friday since 2005), I know many ofmy friends anticipate them all year long. While contemplating that today I wasquite shocked and extremely excited when Elizabeth Darcy, from my story Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy, stopped by to talk with me. I will not question how she managed to transport herself to my humbleabode (after all I wrote a story about ghostly visitations), but she did wantto speak to me about this particular Holidaycustom.  I recorded our conversation andwill transcribe it for your entertainment.

EDarcy:  Miss Cole, orshould I say Lady Cole? 

BTCole:  Ms. Cole, butI would be happy if you would wish to call me Barbara, Mrs. Darcy.

EDarcy:  I would behonored, Barbara.  Please call me,Elizabeth.

BTCole:  Thank you, Elizabeth.I understand you have some questions to ask me about the twenty-first century Holidaycustom of Black Friday?

EDarcy:  I do.  First of all, I cannot understand all thesigns I see about Black Friday?  Is aplague coming?  Has someone veryimportant in your world died?  Are youall to be in mourning and wear black clothes on Friday?  I just cannot determine the meaning. Mostpeculiar of all is something will be sold on that day? Is it some type ofarmband or mourning jewelry?

BTCole:  No,Elizabeth.  Black Friday refers to thecustom of deeply discounting merchandise for sale on the day afterThanksgiving.  It is called ‘Black’because most stores open in the middle of the night for these sales to begin,while it is still black outside. For many businesses it is from this point onthat they are making profit during the year, or being ‘in the black’. ‘In theblack’ means they are on the profit side of the profit and loss statement fortheir business.

EDarcy:  Thank you,Barbara.  I have heard of this holidaycalled Thanksgiving, but do not know much about it.  Can you tell me more?

BTCole:  In the UnitedStated, the Thanksgiving holiday originated in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 as a celebration of asuccessful harvest after arriving in the colonies.

EDarcy:  Fitzwilliamand I have studied some of the history of the formation of the colonies andtheir uprising against the British.  Sothis is not an event to celebrate freedom from their native homeland?

BTCole:  No, it isnot.  And even if you understand thehistory, over the years, it has just become a time when family and friends gettogether for a good meal and talk about their gratitude for the year. 

EDarcy:  The historyof the event was about a successful harvest you said?  It sounds similar to our harvestcelebration.  I assume you clear thetables after dinner and dance a jig, or a similar dance?

BTCole:  I am surethere are some families that might dance after the meal, but my family mostlyrelaxes on the couch and either takes a nap or watches football games.

EDarcy:  Footballgames?

BTCole:  Believe me,you are much better off not knowing about them. Many a modern woman becomes afootball widow during the Bowl game season.

EDarcy:  BowlGames?  I am quite a proficient at lawnbowling!  Fitzwilliam and I love to playwith our children.

BTCole:  No,Elizabeth.  It is not like lawn bowling.I am not sure I can explain it appropriately. It is nothing like games in the Regency period.  Believe me, you are much better off notknowing about it.  Let us just leave itthat the men folk go off and watch these sporting events—perhaps not unlikethey disappeared into the billiard room or the smoking room after dinner inyour time.

EDarcy:  My dear Darcytaught me how to play billiards.  Heparticularly enjoys getting behind me and helping me handle the long pole tomanipulate the balls into a pocket.  Sothis football is like that? 

BTCole:  Oh dear!  I am not explaining this well.  Perhaps I can show you a game on TV.

EDarcy:  What is a TV?

BTCole:  This is alsoa bit difficult to explain.  I will callit an electronic box that shows sports, and plays and news.  It is almost as good as being inattendance.  Instead of going to theopera or the theatre, you can watch the events on this device.

EDarcy:  It soundsquite fascinating.  Perhaps I will havean opportunity to watch one of these electronic boxes while I am here in yourcentury.  I still find I need tounderstand more about the purpose of Black Friday.  It is about buying things?

BTCole:  It is aboutpurchasing deeply discounted merchandise for sale on that one day.

EDarcy:  I am tryingto understand this.  Would it be similarto my going to the modiste shop the day after Thanksgiving and receiving adiscount on the things I ordered?

BTCole:  That isprobably the closest to what transpires in our century, but few people purchasetheir clothes made to order in this century. We go to stores and purchase them ready-made.  They come in a wide variety of sizes. 

EDarcy: You mean all the classes shop in these stores? Arethere not shops that specialize in catering to the upper classes?

BTCole:  There arespecial designer shops, that is true, but even in those stores they havesales.  Most people purchase items offthe rack.

EDarcy:  Off the rack,you say.  I think that Fitzwilliam likesmy rack. (she giggled)

BTCole:  Mrs.Darcy!  I am happy to see a bit of yourimpertience showing through. I am sure Mr. Darcy appreciates all of you, butthis kind of rack is actually a long stand that holds the items, and those thatare shopping can look through the items as they hang.  It works in a similar way to the rod in yourwardrobe closet.  At least I am assumingI am correct in that conclusion.

EDarcy:  I certainlyhave rods in my closet. But there are none in my good friend Mrs. Collins’closet.   Mr. Collins insisted in puttingshelves in the closets as Lady Catherine declared it the most efficient use ofthe space.  And as we all know, she isnever wrong. (she laughed)

BTCole:  (laughing)How are you and your ‘aunt’ getting along these days?

EDarcy:  I am quitehappy to report that with the intervention of Fitzwilliam’s ghosts, she isquickly becoming a very dear friend.  Itmay sound impossible, but I am very happy to report that it is indeedtrue.  Thank you, dear author, forsuggesting that as a possibility in your story. Perhaps I can tell you more about it and you will write about it in thefuture!

BTCole:  I would behappy to learn more about how the ghosts intervened into Lady Catherine’slife.  I could write about that for nextholiday season.  Would you like toaccompany me to the Black Friday sales this coming Friday, Elizabeth?

EDarcy:  While Icannot promise I will be allowed to return, I would love the opportunity to doso!  I hope to see you soon!

BTCole:  Thanks again Elizabeth,for coming and visiting with me today.

_________________________________________________________________

Giveaway of Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy

Comment (with your name and valid email address) below for achance to WIN a signed copy of Barbara Tiller Cole’s newest book, Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy by midnight on Friday ET, December 2nd, 2011. One lucky Winner will be drawn atrandom and announced on Monday, December 5th, 2011.Open to ALL participants/entrants worldwide! Good luck to all! 

The contest is now closed and a winner has been selected here. 

 

BOOK AND AUTHOR BLURB:

A Jane Austen/Charles Dickens crossoverstory, Fitzwilliam Ebenezer Darcy takesthe best of both classics and spins them into a delightful Holiday treat! F.E.Darcy has fallen into pitiful self-loathing and sorrowful angst-ridden despair;all of this due to his belief that he has lost forever the chance to marry theonly woman he has ever loved—Elizabeth Bennet. Seeing her son in such a state,the Ghost of Anne Darcy reaches out to him; informing him that three ghostswould visit him and give him hope. Will these Spirits provide him with thecourage to try again to win the esteem of his one true soul mate?  Barbara Tiller Cole, an Atlanta native and thewriter of the popular book White Liesand Other Half Truths, presents this family friendly classic—a delightfulcombination of the best of her two favorite authors, Jane Austen and CharlesDickens. Barbara credits her parents with fostering a love for both of theseauthors. Each Christmas, Barbara’s father would sit and read Dicken’s classic A Christmas Carol to the family. Hermother consistently challenged her to improve her mind by extensive reading,Jane Austen style. This book is dedicated to the memory of Cliff and Jeanne andthe season they loved the best.

THE AUTHOR’S BLOG:

An Austen Adventure

Facebook Author Fan Page:

Barbara Tiller Cole

Barbara Tiller Cole’s Amazon Author Page:

Visit Amazon's Barbara Tiller Cole Page

(FEDarcy book cover and Barbara Tiller Cole photo courtesy of Barbara Tiller Cole)

Pride and Prejudice’s Indelible Influence by Laurel Ann Nattress (with a Book Giveaway!)

Hi Jeane, thanks again for hosting me during my Grand Tour of the blogosphere incelebration of the release of my new Austen-inspired anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It. The bookpremiered last week and I could not be more pleased by the reception itreceived during its launch party at the Sundance Square Barnes & Nobleduring the 2011 Jane Austen Society of North America’s conference in Ft. Worth,TX.

Jane Austen’s second published novel, Pride and Prejudice, is by far her most well-known and popularworks. In fact, it continually pops into the top five “favorite books of alltime” lists, and Mr. Darcy is equally acclaimed as the most romantic man in allfiction. There are hundreds of Mr. Darcy does “this and that” sequels andretellings in print, and many movie adaptations gracing the screen andtelevision of our cherished P&P.Websites and blogs also herald its charms. Here I am at one of them today!

With all this adoration and praise thrown at its feet, it isno surprise that there are seven Prideand Prejudice-inspired stories in my new anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It. I am very happy to offer this preview ofthem with you today:

“The Riding Habit,”by Pamela Aidan

It is April 1814, almost sixteen months since the wedding ofElizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, and the happily married couple is inLondon for the Season. The months have been full for Elizabeth, but since removingto Town, she has discovered that the blunt words of Lady Catherine held moretruth than she knew. Negotiating Society is complicated, and it promises tobecome more so as she prepares for Georgiana’s coming out ball. Why, then, musther beloved Fitzwilliam insist she learn to ride a horse now before the eyes ofthem all?

“Mr. Bennet Meets His Match,” by Amanda GrangeOn his daughters’ wedding day, Mr. John Bennet’s mind drifts back to theevents of twenty-three years before, and the events leading to his own marriage. . .  Encouraged by his parents to marry sooner rather than later andthereby provide a new generation of Bennet heirs for the estate, John laughedat their hurry. However, a meeting with his Cousin Collins, who was next inline for the entail, and an unfortunate accident, made him reconsider hisposition, and the proximity of the lively, pretty Miss Jane Gardiner sealed hisfate.

“Faux Jane,” by F. J. Meier (Frank Delaney & Diane Meier)
A rich young American actress anxious to marry an English Lord buys a“signed first edition” of Pride and Prejudice as a gift to impress hisrare book collecting mother – which, of course, is a fake. The actress’sfriends are the story’s two protagonists – a fashionable New York photographerand her chic-restaurant owner husband – they’re Nicola and Charles Scott. Thestory mirrors many of the snob and society nuances excelled in by Jane Austen –on whom the restaurateur, Charlie (as his wife calls him: he’s “Charles” toeveryone else) is encyclopedic. With the help of their butler-manservant, aformer hood named Uncle Julius, Charles and Nicola crack the fraud.

“When Only A Darcy Will Do,” by Beth Pattillo
Elizabeth Brown hopes her bootleg tour of Jane Austen’s London will bring insome quick extra cash, but when a real-live Mr. Darcy shows up for the tour,her day takes an unexpected turn.  Elizabeth has very real problems. Her father’s lost everything in the economic downturn, her parents have splitup, and she has no idea where she’ll get the money she needs for grad schooltuition.  Her afternoon with Mr. Darcy, though, shows her that even in themidst of turmoil, happiness can arrive in the most unexpected ways.

“Me and Mr. Darcy, Again…,” by Alexandra Potter
Mr. Darcy is every woman’s fantasy. But what happens when he becomes onewoman’s reality? In 2007 Emily traveled from New York to England to go on aJane Austen-inspired literary tour. There she met and fell in love with Spike,an English journalist.

She also met Mr. Darcy… Or did she? She can never be sure if it reallyhappened, or it was her over-active imagination. Now, four years later, she’shad a huge row with Spike and is back in London nursing a broken heart. Andthere’s only one person who can mend it. Mr. Darcy….

“Letters to Lydia,” by Maya Slater
While visiting her newly married sister Charlotte Collins, Maria Lucaswrites to her best friend Lydia Bennet of her experiences in Kent. Top on herlist of tittle-tattle is the budding romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.Present throughout the Hunsford episode, which culminates in Darcy’s firstdisastrous proposal of marriage to Elizabeth, we are privileged to Maria’s ownaccount of their romance from the point of view of her naïve sixteen-year-oldimaginings. Although she misinterprets everything she observes, it turns outthat she is partly responsible for bringing about the marriage of Elizabeth andDarcy.

 “Intolerable Stupidity,” byLaurie Viera Rigler
Well hidden from the ordinary world, in a little-known corner ofjurisprudential hell known as the Court of Intolerable Stupidity, a legal dramaof literary proportions unfolds. The plaintiff is none other than the mostfamous romantic hero of all time, Mr. Darcy. The defendants are the authors whodared write sequels, adaptations, and inspired-by’s of his Creator’s mostbeloved work, Pride and Prejudice. One of those works, whose authorwas tried and convicted in absentia, is so popular that its salaciousswimming-in-the-lake scene has resulted in Darcy’s being forced to endure aperpetual state of shivering wetness in a transparent white shirt. For whenDarcy’s adoring public isn’t throwing water on him, his umbrella breaks in themidst of a downpour. And now, between the zombies and the vampires, Darcy andhis wife Elizabeth are at their wit’s end. So is defense attorney FritzWilliams, who not only fights a losing battle in a kangaroo court ruled byDarcy’s tyrannical aunt, the Honorable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but also hissecret infatuation with prosecuting attorney Tawny Wolfson. Who has her ownsecret: a hopeless addiction to the illegal miniseries that she is supposed toabhor.

It is quite amazing how Pride andPrejudice’s indelible influence has become such a part of culture and howit inspired all of these great stories. I hope that you enjoy them, and theother fifteen stories in Jane Austen MadeMe Do It.

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Editor bio:

A life-long acolyte of Jane Austen, Laurel Ann Nattress isthe author/editor of Austenprose.com, a blog devoted to the oeuvre of herfavorite author and the many books and movies that she has inspired. She is alife member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, a regular contributorto the PBS blog Remotely Connected and the Jane Austen Centre online magazine.An expatriate of southern California, Laurel Ann lives in a country cottagenear Snohomish, Washington. Visit Laurel Ann at her blogs Austenprose.comand JaneAustenMadeMeDoIt.com, onTwitter as @Austenprose, and on Facebook as Laurel Ann Nattress.

JaneAusten Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature’s Most AstuteObserver of the Human Heart, edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

Ballantine Books • ISBN: 978-0345524966

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Giveaway of Jane Austen Made Me Do It

Enter a chance to WIN one copy of Jane Austen Made Me Do It by leaving a comment here by midnight on Friday ET, October 28, 2011, stating what intrigues youabout reading an Austen-inspired short story anthology. One lucky Winner will be drawn atrandom and announced on Monday, October 31, 2011.Shipment to US and Canadian addresses only. Good luck to all!
The contest is now closed and a winner has been selected.

P&P Blog update and announcement...

A lil' blog update and announcement to mention here. First of all, don't worry, I am not going anywhere nor am I moving this blog to a different host. Rest assured, I've only just been working on keeping this blog updated as best as I could as well as added new things to keep you all updated on all things P&P/Jane Austen related topics and, of course, the 2005 P&P movie version we love, which this blog is most devoted and dedicated to. I just want to let you all know that I've updated some side bar contents/sections and pages of this blog and a lil' announcement, which I will get to in a bit. For now, check out the following things I've been working on.


I've updated the following extra pages...
Pride and Prejudice (2011)
Pride & Prejudice Blog Index
Pride & Prejudice Characters

Updated the P&P Gallery with a few new albums added as well as added and organized tons of P&P related images in their own albums. There might be some new/old images you haven't seen before. So, check them out!

Also, I've added 2 new pages...
P&P Fun Extras
Contact Me

And now, onto my lil' announcement...I've asked fellow Devoted P&P fans Ashley Visco and Christy Farmer (who are both frequent readers/visitors to this blog and its FB page. Also, both loved the 2005 movie and Matthew Macfadyen and his Mr. Darcy version as much as I do and are as equally passionate and are knowledgeable about all things P&P/Jane Austen related topics) to help me out as well as help spiced up this blog with more fun and interesting topics/posts for you all to read and enjoy. Welcome Ashley and Christy!!! :) I'd still be posting here, of course, and not going anywhere as aforementioned. I just thought they would be awesome guest bloggers and additional contributors for this blog. They are both wonderful, fun, and very creative writers and will post their own random P&P/MM/Darcy/JA related topics and essays as well as any P&P/P&P Actors' related news here very soon. They both have their own blog (Christy's Writing blog by Christy) and a tumblr page (Mr. Darcy's Destiny by Ashley) affiliated to this blog, so please welcome them and check out their writing/blog sites too! Thanks. :)